Page 31 of Embrace the Serpent

He held out a hand, his eyes aglimmer with hesitant anticipation, with the threat of a shutter waiting to fall over his expression if I turned him down.

My fingers brushed his palm, and there was a fizzing under my skin, like the moment a firework is lit. Somehow I trusted Rane, in a way I realize I never truly trusted Galen. Like me, Rane was an assistant, and I felt we were equals. “Agreed,” I said.

Rane’s grip tightened. “Excellent. We’ll leave at once.”

I soon learned thatat oncemeant something different to a king and his retinue. “When you saywe,” I began, following Rane as he rushed around the tent, shouting orders at the huntsmen, who were packingwith extraordinary efficiency, “do you mean everyone is leaving?”

He moved me aside to get at a cabinet behind me. “We only came to this city to find a jewelsmith.”

“You mean—What about the Serpent King finding a bride?”

“That, my friend, is what we call a pretense. We needed a way into the city.”

“Oh.” Mirandel would be disappointed. I tried not to feel glad about that. “So, the king will be joining us...?”

He shot me an amused look. “We can’t very well leave him behind.”

“No...” I jumped out of his way as he grabbed a rolled-up rug and swung it onto a pile. “How are we leaving?”

He spun on a heel and collided with me. “You’ll see.” He maneuvered me by the shoulders to a divan. “But for now, sit there and look pretty.”

I scowled.

He grinned. “Close enough.”

I sat very still, blending as much as I could into the shadows without the help of my mother’s ring. An endless parade of the Serpent King’s huntsmen marched through, and Rane introduced me to each as “the jewelsmith” by gesturing to the dark corner where I perched. He seemed to enjoy the way they startled when I blinked.

I was surprised to find that several of the huntsmen were women, though in my defense, it wasn’t easy to tell with the helms and armor, and I also had the feeling that they didn’t much care for the distinction. All the huntsmen were of a height, almost identical when in full uniform, as if the Serpent King preferred a matched set.

Every time the flap opened, I tensed, expecting the Serpent King himself, but he never came.

Soon the day’s toll had to be paid, and I fell asleep.

When I woke, night was turning to dawn. My corner of the tent was empty, all the rugs packed away, the dirt peeking through the threadbare floor. Grimney was asleep on my lap, and I moved him aside and rose.

A sliver of light came from the adjoining room, where the partition flap hung open.

Silver hair. A bare chest, broad and covered in silver snakeskin that glinted with iridescence. A deep voice that said, “You are sure she is the one?”

Rane came into view, holding up a pale garment. “She’s our best chance. She’s talented, and equally important, she’s willing. It’s her or throwing Vyalis in a sack.”

The Serpent King slipped his arms into the sleeves and took the sash Rane handed him, tying it around his waist. “They say Vyalis is the best.”

Rane clicked his tongue. “He’s the Emperor’s favorite. The djinn’s favorite. That hardly makes him the best.”

“So you’ve decided.”

“I have a feeling. Sometimes it happens that a wee little voice in your heart says this is right.”

The Serpent King turned to face him, and his gaze caught mine.

I jerked back. “Sorry!”

Rane swept open the separating curtain. “Good timing. We’re just about ready. Now, come here.”

Come inthere? I stood petrified until the Serpent King swept out, his long silver hair brushing my arm.

“I’m going to put an illusion on you,” Rane said. “It’s a temporary one, so the thing is that if you tell the truth—any truth at all—the illusion dissipates.”

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